We're soaring these days.

Finding new ways to see all we can see.

Climb through new obstacles.

Because we know the journey is worth it.

We'll get where we need to be, and the most important part is we're doing it together.

Life's all about the journey. We just have to make it. 

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

~Robert Frost

Mother's Day

What a wonderful time to honor our mothers. You know, they only carried us for 9 months and went through excruciating birthing experiences to bring us here. Why we don't appreciate them more than once a year is beyond me.

You know once I became a mother, I started to genuinely appreciate the role of "mom". Don't get me wrong our fathers earn the right to be praised too, but that's for a later post (see 'Father's Day' next month). My mother (and Mark's as well) could tell you how many times I have asked "how did you do this?" in the past few years. Seriously, it's a tough job and no one can ever really prepare you for it. Not just the physical effects (tired from sketchy sleep patterns, smelly from the inability to shower everyday, and don't forget the overall feeling of a human paper towel), but the emotional effects of having your heart living outside your body.

Yep, it's a glamorous job and somebody has to do it. I can honestly say this journey called Motherhood has changed me on epic proportions as a person. I sleep with one eye open (hence sketchy being used to describe sleep patterns-and we're not even in the teen years yet),  can make a band-aid out of practically anything, will sing "itsy-bitsy" in public around complete strangers, I've developed super human muscles and can carry multiple littles for hours, am a human rocking chair, will clean messes faster than they occur, I can listen to 3 conversations about 3 completely different subjects at once as well as respond to each topic accordingly, can make a PB&J in 10 seconds flat, can start "once upon a time" stories from scratch, and my newest feature-I have literally grown eyes in the back of my head. So, as you can see, when you get "mom" you get the upgrades that MacGyver would be jealous of.

The sad part is, Mothers can sometimes get a bad rap. We're often the "over-bearing, over-protective" ones that can't let go and always cry when there's a realization that our babies are either growing up or making bad decisions (at least in our opinion, because they deserve only the best). Trust me, we know we're emotional and sometimes senseless in the way we can carry on about things. But something that I've realized about Motherhood, since I became initiated 7 years ago, is we're only trying to get by with two things in mind. One, we're only doing the best that we can, and Two, we're trying not to be like full versions of our own mothers (and even that, we need to keep in mind the first thing).

I love this job and wouldn't trade it in any day. Even the bad days. Children are blessings and I live for moments like these:
"Mommy, can you kiss me....thank you."

Nope, wouldn't trade it for the world. 

something to think about...otherwise known as "lack of sleep + avoiding studying for finals= time to think about things that really matter"

On the tube:

Why is it those guy-wants-girl-girl-hates-guy-spontaneous attraction-turns-love movies always get me? Don't get me wrong I love the traditional love at first sight scenes (flashback Romeo + Juliet with Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes-can't get enough of that fish aquarium scene...why aren't there more large free standing fish aquariums at parties anymore?). Oh, and don't forget the movies where the girl was his "best friend" throughout their childhood and he hadn't a clue (que 80s music and rocker chick playing drums). No, all that is nice, but it just isn't as good as that first I hate you, now I love you stories. Tell me I'm not alone.

***

What is up with "laugh tracks" still being used on sitcoms? I honestly was watching a show today and it donned on me...these people aren't genuinely laughing. It's all fake! They want us to laugh by peer pressure? It's not really funny. But strangely...I can't stop laughing.

***

Why all this fascination over the NFL not having a season this year? What's the big deal? Are you saying that us wives will actually have our husbands full attention come Sundays this year? Really, is that so bad? "Honey, I can't mow the lawn the game is on...oh crap!" Yeah that's right ladies, get your honey-do lists ready, it's our year!

***

Honestly, how hilarious are those E*trade babies? It makes me laugh. See, I don't need peer pressure...I'm perfectly capable.


And folks, those are this week's random questions.

Do you know what today is?

Yes, I know it's the third day of May.

Well actually on this day in 1802 Washington D.C. was incorporated as a city...

and in 1937 Marget Mitchell's 'Gone With the Wind' won the Pulitzer Prize...

oh, and let's not leave out that in 1973 the Sears Tower became the tallest building in the United States 

(and yes, I have an impeccable memory and was a history buff in my previous life).

No, this day will also go down in history for another more personal achievement...

Caleb learned how to swing...all by himself.

Why all the intro? 

Because Caleb instructed me that I now had to remember May 3rd, 2011 forever.

So, take that history books. 

You see, I had this aspiration as a young mother. I wanted to write down every single little blink...

 every little smile and giggle...

every little moment where I saw their personality shine.

You never dream of the day when they will take off and fly...

I know today it may only be learning how to use a swing, tomorrow maybe we'll be riding a bike with no hands, or counting to 500. But we have to take a moment to appreciate today's achievements and not get caught up in the rush to go out and do more. Remember, all it takes is a blink...

it's all in how you look at things.

May Day

Before I begin a new week I like to look back at what we've accomplished recently. Fortunately, for me these days, this is a quick process. I can say we've got outside the last few days, enjoying this nice "spring" weather (living in Kansas forces me to use the " " mentioning seasons).

I can't complain though. Thanks to Mark we accomplished many goals around the house...like yard work, 

...and painting the infamous purple basement (*sob*)

...and filling fruit baskets, with the hope that we'll have smarter snacking options

because I need to stop eating these sneaky little things...

darn you pepperidge farms!

I am excited about the next few weeks though. This week I conclude my last week of classes, and a week from tomorrow I will be taking my last Final of nursing school! Unbelievable. It's funny but the time really has flown by. I can recall my first day of clinicals. Walking up to St. Francis hospital in my crisp, clean white and purple scrubs, thinking to myself, "this is it!" I had been so excited because it had taken so much just to get to that point. Little did I know the journey that lay before me and the challenges to meet me. But somehow I got through them. Mark wrote a beautiful blog entry about our journey, and I couldn't be more thankful for him, otherwise I wouldn't be standing here, getting to this conclusion today. 

I was reading my journal entries from the past few years (yeah, that's right I write in other places too...you'd think my head would implode with all this external monologuing I do). I have just started coming to the realization of the great sacrifice nursing school can involve. Taking time away from your family, friends, hobbies and everyday joys like playing outside with your kids. I can't wait to have it all back again. I've been robbed for three years now, and am looking forward to everyday freedoms. I will not take advantage of them, that you can be certain. Last semester I helped our class come up with a motto for our t-shirts. It said, "Take a break from life...attend nursing school." It couldn't have been said any better. 

I hope you can take time to appreciate joy in life. Look for it in all of life's little secret places.

I assure you, once you start looking you'll never stop finding what is right in front of you. Pure, simple, raw joy.

Want to know what we do to start our week?

Sunday evenings we eat breakfast for dinner. Because that's the secret to a good week, a hearty breakfast to get you started.